Writing That One Great Book Inside You!

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            They say that everyone has at least one good book inside of them, hoping, or screaming to get out. I tend to believe that but also think that many if not most people have some wonderful and marvelous stories to tell if only … if only they had the time… the help… or inclination or?

            Everybody has stories to tell. Memories of childhood. A promotion. A first day on the job. Your first date. A blind date from hell. That night being stuck on roadside when your car breaks down with no cell phone in the pouring down rain at 2 am in the morning and headlights appear. Do I flag them down? Do I lock myself in the car? Do I hide? All these can make great stories and maybe even a book or two. Relax. When writing a book take baby steps.

            I find the stories I love the most that I have written are one and two page short stories. It is what I call a "silent scream," my reaction to something that has happened. Funny things. Sad things. Reaction to a story in the newspaper. Reading a newspaper advice letter. Seeing someone on a street corner doing something. All these things trigger thoughts and reactions. Most people think about it but do nothing else. I put all these ideas in a journal. (Buy a cheap one from a local dollar store.) I date it, give it a title, and write a max of two pages of what I am thinking about as a possible story and put it back on my desk. From time to time, I will pull it out and review it. A seed is planted. Let me give you an example:

            One day my wife and I were taking a drive and had to stop while a bridge was being raised over the Florida Inter-coastal waterway. It was a warm sunny day and we had the convertible top down. While waiting for the bridge and the boats to go by underneath, I looked over at a man in a business suit walking to his car. He stopped outside his car, reached inside a bag, and pulled out a donut. He took great pains to hold the donut far away from himself and began to eat. I watched him trying not to get any of the white powder on his clothes as I nudged my wife. We both smiled and said in unison-, "He doesn't want his wife to know he is eating donuts. No way."

            That day I went home and wrote down what I saw in my journal a notebook. It became the basis for the first book I wrote (unpublished) Titled- My Sicilian Wife or If a man eats a jelly donut in the forest will his wife know about it? It is the story of a man who decides to give his beautiful but suspicious, Sicilian wife a surprise 40th birthday party and has to sneak around to do it. All that from just observing a man eating a donut.

Or

            I went to visit a friend at a club who had a book exchange. They offered to let me borrow a book from their library for an upcoming vacation. While browsing through their library I picked up a couple of books and a piece of paper fell out. I bent over to pick it up and saw it was a folded letter. I began to read -My dearest darling- I don't know how much longer I can stand being away from you. I miss you more than I can ever say. I am not much of a writer but I do know that I love you and miss you. I thought this would be easy but I find that…

            I stopped and refolded the letter and put it back in the book and returned the book to the shelf. I felt I was invading their privacy. I grabbed a book and returned to join my wife and her friends for lunch. When I mentioned what happened they all wanted to read the letter, "to return it to its rightful owner." Yeah right. However, it got me thinking. I wrote it down in my journal and titled it Love Letter. Then I began to think and wonder, What if? Who would write a letter now in this day of Tweets and emails? Why would she keep it? Why would she let it go? Maybe she didn't know it was in the book. I began to wonder and think what would cause someone to write such a wonderful letter such as this? Were there other ones he had written?

            The story began to develop about a woman who moves to Florida after getting divorced and opens a used bookstore. She buys boxes of books at a flea market from a handsome seller who is downsizing after the death of his wife. She returns to her store and is sorting through her boxes of books when she discovers love letters inside. She starts to read and begins to fall in love. She decides to try to track him down to return them but with no luck. She knows exactly what she would say to him should she meet him until…

            In September of 2012 the book Love Letters was finished and published by BME. Click here to read an excerpt from- Love Letters. ( http://tinyurl.com/Amazon-LoveLetters )

            Just start by observing things and people around you and begin to read. Okay you say, what next?

Hey Guys- Heads up:

These are the 9 Words Women Use (and Men Need to Know)

1) Fine

This is the word women use to end an argument when they are right and you need to shut up.

2) Five Minutes

If she is getting dressed, this means a half an hour. Five minutes is only five minutes if you have just been given five more minutes to watch the game before helping around the house.

3) Nothing

This is the calm before the storm. This means something, and you should be on your toes. Arguments that begin with nothing usually end in fine.

4) Go Ahead

This is a dare, not permission. Don't Do It!

5) Loud Sigh

This is actually a word, but is a non-verbal statement often misunderstood by men. A loud sigh means she thinks you are an idiot and wonders why she is wasting her time standing here and arguing with you about nothing. (Refer back to # 3 for the meaning of nothing.)

6) That's Okay

This is one of the most dangerous statements a woman can make to a man. That's okay means she wants to think long and hard before deciding how and when you will pay for your mistake.

7) Thanks

A woman is thanking you, do not question, or faint. Just say you're welcome. (I want to add in a clause here – This is true, unless she says 'Thanks a lot' – that is PURE sarcasm and she is not thanking you at all. DO NOT say 'you're welcome'. That will bring on a 'whatever').

8) Whatever

Is a woman's way of saying F– YOU!

9) Don't worry about it, I got it

Another dangerous statement, meaning this is something that a woman has told a man to do several times, but is now doing it herself. This will later result in a man asking 'What's wrong?' For the woman's response refer to #3.

A Second Chance - Remember Your First Love?

I just finished writing my latest book- A Second Chance- Remember your first love?  It is set on the quiet, out of the way, Greek island of Syros.  I know, I know, I am such a romantic.  This was such a great story to tell.  Everytime someone would ask what book I was working on, I would tell them and immediately see their eyes wander.  I could see them transported back to remembering their first love.  Then they would all say, Yes I remember.  My book is just one of those stories. It should be out by the end of June.  A great and easy beach read.

Change

I want to thank everyone for the email  and help for my research on my book about relationships.  I am now changing direction and writing about  one of the things I hold most dear.  Writing.  This is the story of my journey as a writer.  Join me.

Secrets

Why is it a guy can master all of the electronics in the house, TV, Remotes, Stereo, DVR, Tivo,and fix anyhthing that goes wrong but  becomes a total moron when it comes to the everyday mundane things like the dishwasher, stove, oven washing machine, dryer,etc.  It is normally because he has never been exposed any of those things or perhaps because they are not "manly." Well........

It is no a matter of being manly or femine it is a matter of getting things done as qwuickly as possible so that the two of you can sit down together and relax and talk about the day you have had.  Start with te easy one first dishwasher.  Given a choicebetween hand washing  or loading up a dishwasher it is a no-brainer, dishwasher.  Walk him through it a couple of times.  Sure you can do it faster on your own but think kid and now you have it.
Thank him for all of his help, coax him along.  He is a smart guy ( you wouldn't be with a dummy right?) It will work wonders.  Try it, you'll like it.

Staying with it!

I asked someone yesterday what is the secret to a long marriage. (He and his wife are married fifty-two years.)

 His first response was - Compomise.  He went on to add; Never go to bed angry. Be the first to say "I'm Sorry."  And mean it, even if you are wrong. He akso told me you can never say the three magic words enough- " I love you."

Always put your spouse first- before the kids, before your parents, before friends, co-workers, neighbors, golf buddies, before everyone.  And first and foremeost he told me, "Just keep working at it.  Every day!"

I like his philosphy and plan to find more couples to ask the same question.  Stay tuned.

Finding the right one-

 

It is three am, pouring down rain and your car just konked out.  Who do you call?  And why?(Your parents are out of town.)  The answer to that question should tell you a lot.  If it isn't your boyfriend / fiance' than you need to rethink a lot of things. 

 

 If he is not willing to come out at three am to help you, what is he going to do when the baby is crying her heart out in the middle of the night.

 

Is he the type that would get up and help you out? No.  Then you are going to be stuck doing a lot of things on your own. Just realize that but also realize that marriage is a partnership, you help out each other.  Sometimes it is not the easiest thing to do but that is what makes a partnership survive. Think about it.

Choosing a soul mate -

 

Although many people say you cannot "choose" a soul mate, rather it is a matter of chance or Karma  however there are some things that you can keep in mind when evaluating potential husband.  First an foremost Extreme Makeovers are for houses and not husbands. You must remember that with a potential husband, what you see is what you get. 

 

Don't choose him with the thought that you will change him over time.  It is just not going to happen.  Choose carefully.

 

Staying with it-

 

The other day, I interviewed an older gentleman who told me he and his wife just celebrated 58 years of marriage. I asked him what was their secret of longevity.  He told me, "You have to work at it everyday, just like anything that is important to you in life.  You will have good days and you will have bad days but overall the good days will win out."

 

"You just have to make a commitment that you will work at it everyday that's all.  No big secret but it also helps to marry your best friend." 

 

That's the secret, you have to work at it everyday just as the old man said.  It is no walk in the park but remember happiness is a journey not a destination.  Enjoy the journey, every day.

I did not plan to start off my New Years blog by writing this but I saw a report quoting the majority of doctors find that the number one question (over 90%) that they get asked by their a patients is: Am I normal? The answer is yes of course you are normal, you may be different but you are definitely normal. This blog is for you... and for me.

 

I am an old fashion romantic and a romance writer. I write about it, I live it, and I firmly believe in it for all ages. I read where the younger generation (20 somethings) believe they are different than their parents and every other generation that has come before. But an overwhelming majority of them (78%) still want to get married, settle down and have a family. These are the same goals of every generation.  

 

How do you choose the right person to spend the rest of your life with? What advice would you give others to help them choose the right person?  What is the secret for a long marriage?  What would you tell your friends to look for or avoid when choosing a potential life long soul mate? What would you advise a newlyweds?  Tell me your good and bad experiences, anonymously and maybe this blog can help you and others.  

 

 I am in a unique place in time, I have many, many nieces and nephews in their twenties and thirties but I also know couples who have have been married 30, 40 50 years and more.  What is their secret? What keeps them together for so long? That's what this blog is all about. But I can't do it without you. 

 

I will post whatever e-mails or Tweets that can help.  Let's talk, and hopefully with the help of this blog and friends everywhere you will know when is it time to stay or time to Move On and you will know why. 

 

Send me an e-mail, post a blog or Tweet me on Twitter.  Also for a little self promotion, if you are looking for a good old fashion romance e-book to cuddle up with, check out my latest romance novel, Love Letters.  If you prefer a Mystery / Thriller, check out The Potus Papers.  For $2.99, what do you have to lose.

 

Let's Talk.